Rahul Dravid recalls R Ashwin's YouTube video on batting against spin, jokes about backlash

Former India cricketer and head coach Rahul Dravid teased Ravichandran Ashwin for indirectly helping Australia to play spin during the 2023 Test series between two teams. Ashwin had uploaded a guide to play spin in India during the 2023 Test series against Australia after India were 2-0 up in the series.

However, after India lost the third Test in Indore, the video went viral, resulting in Ashwin facing backlash. Recently, Rahul Dravid recalled the incident and teased the former spin bowler for coaching the Australian team in Tamil in the middle of the series. He also revealed how he received some flak as people were like that he’s coaching better than you.

"You even coached the Australian team. I got sent a clip. Unfortunately, it was in Tamil. So that's the one I've seen about you. You're speaking in Tamil and with a little bit of Tamil that I understand, you're coaching the Australian team in the middle of the Australian series, how to play spin. And I'm thinking, Ash, the series is not over . I know that you got the flak for it. The flak I got was ‘Ashwin is coaching better than you are — what are you doing?,"said Dravid on Ashwin’s Youtube Channel.

Ashwin also recalled a hilarious conversation with Mitchell Starc during the third Test, who offered to teach him how to play a bouncer giving reference of his Youtube video.

“If I knew how to do that, I would have told our boys how to play spin. I mean, why would I go and tell the Aussies?. An interesting thing was that (Mitchell) Starc came and told me. I mean, he bowled a bumper, and I just left it in the Indore Test match. I think we were 80 for 7 or something. We went for lunch, and he was walking with me. He was like, 'Can I tell you how to play the bouncer like your YouTube video?It's good to know that Starc knows Tamil. I think it was maybe the Australian guys got some Tamil guy,” said Ashwin.

India went on to win the series by 2-1 as Ashwin was adjudged Player of the Series along with Ravindra Jadeja. The off-spinner scalped 25 wickets from four matches at an average of 17.28 with two five-wicket hauls to his name. On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja was the second-highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets from four matches at an average of 18.86 with two five-wicket hauls.